Live Free Radio Keep Living Free

The hysteria over Obama/Soetoro's new Executive-order
by Devvy Kidd
March 18, 2012

I must have received 200 emails about the EO issued by the putative president declaring martial law is on the way and no election in November.

This one is typical:

"This Obama EO has gone way beyond Communism or a Police State ! This is total insanity ! It's done. We waited ourselves into tyrannical oblivion."

Many read the EO and are concerned as we should be from anything generated by the Red House.

When I first read it, I thought Soetoro didn't write it because he doesn't really concern himself with much except playing basketball, raising money, his Wednesday night music sessions or Hollyweird friends stopping in, and second, it's beyond his abilities in my humble opinion.

In any event, WND has come out with an article about it since the panic has spread like flash mobs:

Executive-order panic: Martial law in U.S.?

http://www.wnd.com/2012/03/executive-order-panic-martial-law-in-america/

"As it turns out, Obama’s executive order is nearly identical to EO 12919, issued by President Clinton on June 7, 1994, which itself was an amendment to EO 10789, issued in 1958 by President Eisenhower, and which in fact, was later amended by EO 13286, issued in 2003 by George W. Bush."

Rest at link above.

As for the issue of martial law, I highly recommend people read the column below by Dr. Edwin Vieira, Ph.D., J.D.

I was under several misconceptions about martial law until I read Edwin's usual scholarly analysis.

Those sending out emails it's time to get your guns locked and loaded, a coup is underway, etc., should get the facts about martial law before they blow a gasket and do something foolish.

A Primer on Martial Law

http://www.newswithviews.com/Vieira/edwin198.htm

E-Verify: De Facto National ID and the End of Privacy
By John W. Whitehead
9/16/2011

As technology grows more sophisticated and the American government and its corporate allies further refine their methods of keeping tabs on citizens, those of us who treasure privacy increasingly find ourselves engaged in a struggle to maintain our freedoms in the midst of the modern surveillance state.

The latest attack on our right to anonymity and privacy comes stealthily packaged in the form of so-called job protection legislation. Introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) in June 2011, H.R. 2885 (formerly H.R. 2164), the "Legal Workforce Act," is being marketed as a way to fight illegal immigration and "open up millions of jobs for unemployed Americans and legal immigrants." However, this proposed federal law is really little more than a Trojan horse, a backdoor attempt by the powers-that-be to inflict a de facto National ID card on the American people.

Created under the auspices of securing the borders and preventing illegal immigrants from being hired for "American" jobs, E-Verify challenges the rights of the individual, the rights of labor and the rights of industry. As such, this is not a left or right issue. Anyone who values civil liberties should be alarmed. In fact, E-Verify is being opposed by various civil liberties groups such as the ACLU, American Library Association, The Rutherford Institute, Liberty Coalition and others.

If approved by Congress, this legislation would make the federal government the final authority on who gets hired by American businesses and in the process create a bureaucratic nightmare for already over-burdened and over-regulated small business owners. In a nutshell, H.R. 2885 requires all employers to submit potential employees' names, Social Security numbers and other data to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for authorization before the employees can start work. The data would then be run through E-Verify, a government-run database and employment identification verification system.

In other words, the E-Verify system would require all those wanting to be employed by American companies to register the credentials of their citizenship in a government database. What this means, of course, is that in order to be able to verify an applicant's legitimacy, the government would first have to build a massive database to store the biographical information of the entire working population in the United States--a huge undertaking with numerous pitfalls and security flaws, as we have seen with many other government databases. If you think unemployment is a problem now, just wait until your employment hinges on getting government clearance. Under this legislation, if a worker's information is incorrect in E-Verify, he or she can't work until the problem is resolved.

Furthermore, due to the sensitive information contained in the database, it would be a huge target for hackers and identity thieves, while doing little to curb the flow of illegal immigration or illegal immigrants getting jobs. Indeed, with a stolen or faked identity, anyone could bypass the system and secure employment.

This legislation poses even greater threats to privacy, free speech and free association and potentially hinders Americans' ability to travel freely. Because the E-Verify system would apply to everyone eligible to work in the United States and will grow to include biometrics such as fingerprints, DNA and iris scans, it will be used for a host of other purposes by the intelligence community, law enforcement and corporate America.

Private employers will become extensions of the government in that they will eventually be required to verify whether employees are delinquent in the payment of federal, state or local taxes, in compliance with child support or alimony decrees, on a terrorist watch list or convicted or even accused of a crime. Employers, thus, would be enlisted as de facto law enforcement officers for the federal government. Furthermore, errors in the verification process would be practically immune from timely legal redress in violation of constitutional tenets of due process.

Recently, the prohibition in H.R. 2885 on using the E-Verify database for purposes other than employment verification was replaced with a new section that allows the system to be used to "protect critical infrastructure." That term is broadly defined and it's not clear what this would mean in practice--whether screening air travelers or controlling access to federal facilities--but it clearly signals a huge expansion of the program. In one paragraph in the legislation the government states that E-Verify will not be used just for employment but also can be used for verifying identify for national security. What this means is that American citizens would have to have their information correct in E-Verify not just to get a job but also potentially if they need to access "critical infrastructure"--i.e., any kind of public transportation. Ironically, this language comes right after the paragraph saying there will be no National ID card.

Despite assurances to the contrary, E-Verify will become a de facto National ID system. Such a database with vast pools of personal information directly tied to individuals shared across a multitude of government agencies would give the government an alarming amount of control over the average citizen. If government officials so chose, they could easily track any person who had registered in the E-Verify system for whatever reason.

Not only will government agencies know everything about American citizens, but private corporations will become policemen for this system. The E-Verify system--part of a broader trend in American politics, namely, the collusion of government and corporate interests--will allow government and corporate officials to repress dissidents and suspects simply by restricting their access to basic services. Once all of your information is tied together and placed in one grand database, any government or corporate agency can wreak havoc on your life. You might try to buy groceries only to find that your credit card has been denied. You might apply for a job, at ten, twenty, fifty corporations only to find that, despite your being very qualified, there just isn't any room for you at the company. Without a job, you might be forced to tap into the welfare system, only to find that your application was denied. Your property might be confiscated. When you try to move somewhere else and start anew, you might find you can't board the plane because you're on a no-fly list. Make no mistake, these are the tactics of a totalitarian society.

However, the idea of singling out and "identifying" individuals for the sake of national security is nothing new. National identity cards also carry with them a historic risk of oppression and persecution, as they have been used to identify and track ethnic, racial and religious groups and have facilitated oppression and persecution against these groups. And as recently as the 1990s, identity cards played an instrumental role in one of the worst genocides of the twentieth century, second only perhaps to the Holocaust.

With the introduction of an identity card that contains information such as ethnic origin, government agencies will be able to identify people on the basis of race or religion with considerable ease. For example, in the months following the 9/11 attacks, Muslim men from Arab or South Asian countries were rounded up on the basis of religion and ethnicity and detained indefinitely in the United States, often without access to an attorney or a judge. Imagine how much more far-reaching that government detention program might have been with a National ID in place.

Various laws have been enacted over time to guard against unreasonable intrusions by the government into our private lives. One such law is the Privacy Act, which was passed by Congress in 1974 and prohibits the government from forming a database. However, although the fear was that such a database could constitute an invasion of privacy, the law only prevents the government from creating a database, not accessing an already existing database.

At the time the Privacy Act was passed, Congress had no reason to suspect that private corporations would ever have the desire or means to create such databases. The emergence of data collection corporations, however, has enabled government intelligence and police agencies to circumvent the law and gain information on private citizens with the click of a button. Although such tactics clearly contradict the spirit of privacy laws intended to guard against government abuse, it is technically legal for the government to gain access to these databases. Government officials have taken full advantage of this loophole. Due to the fact that these databases are owned and operated by private corporations, they are relatively unregulated and fall outside the scrutiny of privacy watchdog groups. Reports of security breaches at numerous data brokerage companies only serve to fan concerns about the lack of oversight and regulation.

Rest assured that were Congress to approve this E-Verify legislation, it would constitute the ultimate end-run around the Privacy Act and open the door to a National ID. Thus, we have reached a crossroads. Either we limit the reach and power of the government (often in collusion with corporate power) or privacy as we have known it will become extinct.

---------------------------------------------------

Members of House committee to call to oppose Everify

*************************
ARKANSAS

Rep. Griffin, Tim (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, 205150001
(202-225-2506)

*************************
ARIZONA

Rep. Franks, Trent (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 205150001
(202-225-4576)

Rep. Quayle, Ben (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, 205150001
(202-225-3361)

*************************
CALIFORNIA

Rep. Gallegly, Elton (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 205150001
(202-225-5811)

Rep. Issa, Darrell (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 205150001
(202-225-3906)

Rep. Lungren, Dan (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 205150001
(202-225-5716)

=========
FLORIDA

Rep. Adams, Sandy (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 205150001
(202-225-2706)

Rep. Ross, Dennis (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, 205150001
(202-225-1252)

*************************
INDIANA

Rep. Pence, Mike (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 205150001
(202-225-3021)

*************************
IOWA

Rep. King, Steve (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 205150001
(202-225-4426)

*************************
NORTH CAROLINA

Rep. Coble, Howard (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 205150001
(202-225-3065)

*************************
OHIO

Rep. Chabot, Steve (GOP)
441 Vine Street, Suite 3003,
Cincinnati, 452023003
(513-684-2723)

Rep. Jordan, Jim (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, 205150001
(202-225-2676)

*************************
PENNSYLVANIA

Rep. Marino, Tom (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, 205150001
(202-225-3731)

*************************
SOUTH CAROLINA

Rep. Gowdy, Trey (GOP)
101 West St. John St.,
Spartanburg, SC 29306
(864-583-3264)

*************************
TEXAS

Rep. Gohmert, Louie (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 205150001
(202-225-3035)

Rep. Poe, Ted (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 205150001
(202-225-6565)

*************************
UTAH

Rep. Chaffetz, Jason (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 205150001
(202-225-7751)

*************************
VIRGINIA

Rep. Forbes, Randy (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 205150001
(202-225-6365)

Rep. Goodlatte, Robert (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 205150001
(202-225-5431)

*************************
WISCONSIN

Rep. Sensenbrenner, James (GOP)
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 205150001
(202-225-5101)

*************************

GOD'S WORD FOR TODAY
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Psalms 121:3 (KJV)

IN THE NEWS
OBAMA NATION

E-Verify 'flags' Obama's Social Security Number
http://bit.ly/pzpXhT

E-VERIFY NEWS

Broad coalitions gather over the Legal Workforce Act markup
http://bit.ly/qW4zae

Legal Workforce Act a Stealth National ID
http://thedc.com/nozA2T

POLICE STATE NEWS

Should Faking a Name on Facebook Be a Felony?
http://on.wsj.com/rfQS2h

BMI Reports On Kids Will Be Required In Michigan
http://bit.ly/pBFVKd

Border deal could erode personal privacy in Canada
http://bit.ly/qj4HAa

Reporter Claims TSA Agent Would Speed People Through Security For $10
http://bit.ly/pHjdkx

TSA officers arrested on drug charges in Conn.
http://nyp.st/qPaNP9

POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

McCaskill attacked on billboard in Springfield LOL
http://bit.ly/mTTzFd

More of the same -- Senate introduces anti-public education bills
http://bit.ly/nsW0qw

Judge blocks Fla. law restricting doctor gun talk
http://bit.ly/p4EDRy

Man Arrested At Honolulu Airport Over Threat To Vice President Biden
http://bit.ly/n1x8xI

Gun store owner had misgivings about ATF sting
http://on.msnbc.com/rndTga

ECONOMIC NEWS

Unemployed, he's selling everything to follow in steps of Dust Bowl migrants
http://bit.ly/nevq3A

Unemployment benefit requests jumped to 428K
http://yhoo.it/po4drH

World's central banks flood market with dollars
http://yhoo.it/nsx3qR

HEALTH NEWS

Buyer Beware high fructose corn syrup getting a new name - don't buy it demand real sugar
http://yhoo.it/oBs6K8

4 Things to Consider Before Moving Move Off-Grid
http://bit.ly/qyNqf6

MORAL DECLINE

UBS $2 billion rogue trade suspect held in London
http://yhoo.it/p7rbst

Wife Performing In Sex Tape Doesn't Know She's A Star
http://yhoo.it/oYWaj8

Boy, 14, brutally beaten in Logan Square
http://yhoo.it/qGA60D

Man hounded for child support for 20 years, but it's not his kid
http://yhoo.it/pEdA6E

Facial Recognition is a Threat
to Your Privacy:

A Top Privacy
Issue of Our Time

San Diego, CA, August 25,
2011 –
Imagine you’re walking down the street and a stranger snaps
your photo with his smartphone. He uses a facial recognition app and within
minutes, he knows your name, age, where you were born, and your Social Security
number. Think it’s a scene from the movie Minority
Report? Think again.

It’s Possible.

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University combined three
technologies – facial recognition software, cloud computing, and social
networks – to identify people both online and offline. The team performed three
separate experiments:

1. People using pseudonyms on an online dating site were
   identified by comparing Facebook profile photos, which are publicly displayed,
   to the profiles on the dating site. Using facial recognition software to match
   up the photos, 10 percent of the dating site’s users were identified.
   
   
2. Students walking on campus were identified by comparing
   real-time photos taken with a webcam to Facebook profile photos. The facial
   recognition software identified the students 31 percent of the time.
   
   
3. Using only a photo of a person’s face and information
   publicly available online, the researchers figured out the person’s birth date,
   personal interests, and Social Security number.

Many individuals share a tremendous amount of information about
themselves online. As facial recognition software improves, it will inevitably
be easier to link this personal information to you just by taking your photo.

The Threat to Your
Privacy.

Facial recognition technology – especially as the technology
becomes more sophisticated – may be one of the gravest privacy threats of our
time. It has the potential to remove the anonymity we expect in crowds and most
public places. There are the obvious “chilling effects” it could have on
political demonstrations and speech, concerns being monitored by civil
liberties advocates like the ACLU,
EPIC, and EFF.  However, this technology will also very
likely be used in greater capacity in the commercial sector to further target
consumers for advertising and discriminatory pricing purposes.

According to
an article published recently by the Los Angeles Times, several companies
have already launched, or plan to launch soon, facial recognition technology
that will be used for in-store digital displays and kiosks to make product
suggestions based on the demographics gleaned from your face.  This might include your sex, your age range,
and your race or ethnicity.  

However, the article fails to mention the possibility that
facial recognition software will likely be used for more than demographic
targeting. In his book Niche
Envy, Joseph Turow, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, explains
how companies are using increasingly sophisticated market segmentation methods
to offer different prices to different people, a practice known as price
discrimination. The more detailed the profile a company can build on you, the
more accurately it can estimate how much you are willing to spend on a product.

Professor Turow focused primarily on online data collection,
but as the Carnegie Mellon study illustrates, facial recognition technology
makes it possible to connect your offline identity with your online identity
without necessarily obtaining your consent. This may allow for price
discrimination the moment you walk into a store. As facial recognition
technology advances and the number of consumers using social media continues to
increase, it’s not far-fetched to imagine a scenario where, for example, the
kiosk mentioned above identifies you based on information found online. What if
you then receive not only product recommendations, but also prices for those
products based on who it thinks you are? The possibility of such applications for
facial recognition technology are disturbing, to say the least. 

What You Can Do.

We believe  individuals must have control over their personal
information.  This includes who has your
information, how it is kept, and what can be done with it.
 Facial recognition software can enable companies
to identify and target you without your knowledge or permission. Privacy laws
in the U.S. have not kept pace with technology, and we are aware of no laws specifically
governing commercial use of facial recognition technology.  This is unless, of course, a company states
in a privacy policy that it does not use this technology when in fact it does.

Here are three things you can do to fight for your privacy:

1. Educate yourself. The most important thing you can do is learn
   more about the technology and its privacy implications, so that you are an
   educated and informed consumer. To stay abreast of facial recognition and other
   emerging privacy issues, visit our
   Privacy Today webpage.
   
   
2. Support legislation that defends privacy. Write to your elected representatives
   to ask for stronger privacy protections against facial recognition
   technology and other emergent technologies that you believe may be used to
   invade your privacy. Many privacy laws are created on the state level, so stay
   informed and vote for better privacy protection.
   
   
3. Avoid companies with poor privacy practices. When possible,
   don't do business with companies that you believe collect unnecessary
   personal information or fail to protect that information. Take your money
   elsewhere - and let the companies know why.

You can also see this alert on our website at http://www.privacyrights.org/facial-recognition-threat-to-your-privacy-2011.

__________________________________________________________________

GOD'S WORD FOR TODAY
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. ACTS 2:38 (KJV)

Coalition Letter to Protect Online Privacy
Posted by James Leroy Wilson

DownsizeDC.org is part of a coalition of 30 organizations expressing privacy concerns in bill H.R. 1981, the "Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act."

Section 4 of the bill would, for the first time, "force companies that provide Internet access to keep large volumes of records on their customers." Contrary to the title of the bill, "the records would involve all Internet users everywhere and they would be available to law enforcement for any purpose."

This is an invasion of the privacy of "hundreds of millions of Americans who have no connection to the sexual exploitation of children whatsoever."

This is why we sent a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith and Ranking Member John Conyers opposing this provision.

You may see the letter here and read it below:

generating records – what we read, where we go, who our friends are. If those records must
always be saved for future use, they become a persistent and pervasive assault on our privacy and an irresistible temptation to law enforcement. That is why best practices in privacy demand the deletion of records as soon as they are no longer necessary – exactly the opposite of the mandate of H. R. 1981.

Existing laws are wholly insufficient in protecting against access to such records. As this
Committee has recognized in previous hearings, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act
(ECPA) has not been substantially updated since 1986, while the type and detail of records have increased dramatically since that time. The data retention mandate of H.R. 1981 would
exacerbate ECPA’s problems, making records available and identifiable for even longer periods of time.

For all of these reasons, we urge the committee to withhold approval of H.R. 1981 in any
form containing section 4 or any other data retention mandate.
Sincerely,

Advocacy for Principled Action in Government
American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression
American Civil Liberties Union
American Library Association
Association of Research Libraries
Bill of Rights Defense committee
Center for Democracy & Technology
Center for Digital Democracy
Center for Financial Privacy and Human Rights
Center for Media and Democracy
Center for National Security Studies
Consumer Action
Consumer Federation of America
Consumer Watchdog
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Defending Dissent Foundation
Demand Progress
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Privacy Information Center
Friends of Privacy USA
Liberty Coalition
Muslim Public Affairs Council
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
National Workrights Institute
Patient Privacy Rights
Privacy Activism
Privacy Journal, Robert Ellis Smith, Publisher
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
World Privacy Forum

########################################################################

GOD'S WORD FOR TODAY
Psalms 100:5
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalms 100:5 (KJV)

IN THE NEWS
OBAMA NATION

US uses debt crisis to cover-up drawing spying rules
http://bit.ly/oeArYR

Corporate Tax Holiday in Debt Ceiling Deal: Where's the Uproar?
http://bit.ly/mYBAjf

As Washington struggles over debt crisis, Obama stays mum on veto threat
http://yhoo.it/pHHvmm

Obama to announce new fuel economy standards Friday
http://yhoo.it/qoeo4P

Barack Obama Thinks Your Password Sucks
http://gizmo.do/qiB7Hw

Obama ends ban on openly gay military service
http://yhoo.it/o69URP

MORE STAGED TERROR AND HORROR

Norway horror: 80 die in camp shooting, 7 in blast
http://yhoo.it/oKAojT

POLICE STATE NEWS

15 Years in Prison For Taping Cops? Eavesdropping Laws Are Taking Away Our Best Defense Against Police Brutality
http://bit.ly/oJqbah

The World’s Biggest Central Bank Has Private Shareholders
http://bit.ly/qp7JlF

Rahm Emanuel Imposes Tween Curfew
http://bit.ly/pUyDSD

House panel approves bill forcing ISPs to log users’ web history
http://bit.ly/rffep9

TSA readying new behavior detection plan for airport checkpoints
http://politi.co/odkrty

Lockheed Martin Wins $72 Million Contract To Install Body Scanners
http://bit.ly/pE1uRT

Bank Activity Required For Wisconsin Voter ID - People in WI Should Be Protesting This
http://bit.ly/pBjWGK

Caught on tape: Police 'stripped unarmed man naked, kicked, beat and tasered him as he lay screaming in snow'
http://bit.ly/oR8eId

San Francisco police say man killed in Bayview incident fired at cops first
http://bit.ly/orLbBQ

'I'm angry this time': Bladder cancer survivor left covered in his own urine AGAIN after TSA worker manhandled him
http://bit.ly/prPe8H

Mom convicted in son’s jaywalking death - The Injustice System
http://yhoo.it/ogZfU2

Walnuts Are Drugs, Says FDA - Another Example of Government Idiocracy
http://bit.ly/nk0hi1

Woman guilty after refusing TSA patdown
http://bit.ly/qjuo7W

S.C. Police on Alert After Political Activist “Liked” Article on Facebook
http://bit.ly/mT5OVH

REAL ID & PRIVACY NEWS

Judge Prohibits Texas From Denying Drivers Licenses to Legal Immigrants
http://fxn.ws/rsUO2t

ECONOMIC NEWS

No Wonder the Jobless Rate is Staying at Depression Levels
http://bit.ly/pSHL8R

Detroit to set services by neighborhood condition
http://bit.ly/qJd92l

Ghost Towns on the Increase as Rural America Accounts for Just 16% of Population
http://bit.ly/pVLpvw

Apple Now Has More Cash Than The U.S. Government
http://read.bi/pcNfD6

Stocks Reverse Entire Overnight Dump On One Headline
http://bit.ly/qNVEOV

Job listings say the unemployed need not apply - Sickening Trend In The Business World
http://yhoo.it/ni4XJc

USPS to study retail locations for new concept
http://bit.ly/po4yjG

Back to School Shoppers: Get a Break on Sales Taxes - Does The Savings Live Up To The Hype?
http://yhoo.it/pXBnnG

POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

Tea party role in debt bill raises GOP eyebrows
http://bit.ly/mWyG7W

How the Justice Department Helped Birth a Multibillion Dollar Phone Scam
http://aol.it/pzAOkk

IRS says airlines can issue ticket-tax refunds
http://yhoo.it/mQKqua

Bob Etheridge Apologizes for "Poor Response" to Sidewalk Cameramen
Cameras get undesired results Hidden cameras get much more
http://bit.ly/9X4lcc

HEALTH NEWS

Tylenol daily dose cut to prevent overdose, liver failure
http://usat.ly/nkINxh

Air Force Pilots Have Anti-Freeze in Their Blood and the Air Force Doesn't Know Why
http://gizmo.do/pOKKnD

Conflict of Interest Evident in Microwave Radiation Studies
http://bit.ly/nhct9F

Gonorrhea Now Resistant to Last Type of Antibiotics
http://bit.ly/rbUjkD

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION NEWS

California "Dream Act" approved for illegal immigrants
http://yhoo.it/nGoa77

MORAL DECLINE

Drunk school anti-drinking lecture cop crashes into a tree...while towing DARE trailer - The Irony
http://bit.ly/qKJ66B

Polygamist threatens court with biblical repercussions
http://bit.ly/oqNxz6

Ex-La. gov, 83, marries 32-year-old prison pen pal
http://bo.st/qotFxD

UK Pole Dancing Class For Young Girls Sparks Outrage
http://huff.to/pZCGLe

Florida murderer caught 32 years after prison escape
http://yhoo.it/mSmoXI

Jeopardy! host injured after chasing burglar in SF
http://yhoo.it/nPAXau

Three Kennedy Middle School Boys Admit to Sexual Assault
http://bit.ly/onO7xT

Children as young as 10 DAYS old among 89 rescued from clutches of Chinese people traffickers
http://bit.ly/oan3xw

Top judge arrested on rape charges 'after victim secretly filmed him carrying out attack'
http://bit.ly/nyohZq

Man arrested over kidnap and rape of college student in broad daylight
http://bit.ly/pzv0RV

STRANGE WEATHER

Pa. girl, 11, hit by lightning on sunny afternoon
http://yhoo.it/q48kTh

MADE IN THE USA

Walmart is largest importer of Communist Chinese manufactured product into USA!
http://bit.ly/oF0hGD

Posted by James Leroy Wilson

Before this message is through, we'll be announcing DownsizeDC.org's NEW Agenda campaign. It's a campaign that is so important that it will join, in priority, the Read the Bills Act and the One Subject at a Time Act.

But first, let me tell you about the greatest opportunity we've ever had, in our lifetimes, to balance the budget and actually Downsize DC. Imagine...

It's the fourth quarter, with two minutes to go. Your favorite team has the lead, the ball, and four downs. The other team has no timeouts. You know the quarterback must "snap and kneel" a couple of times, and you win the game.

But then, the quarterback calls the count, takes the snap, turns around and heaves the ball backwards into his own end zone. The entire offense just stands there, watching as the defensive players race down to recover the ball -- and they do. They get a touchdown! You lose the game.

That scenario is absurd. Who would throw obvious victory away? The Washington Elephants would.

For decades, they've made an art out of tearing defeat from the clenched jaws of victory.

This time, the story is that the Washington Elephants, better known as the Republican members of Congress, are EAGER to...

* Continue massive deficit spending for years,
* Increase the debt ceiling by trillions, and
* Constitutionally guarantee we have a Leviathan State, forever.

And the worst part of it is, YOU might be encouraging them to throw away the game! 

Right now, all "good Republicans" on Capitol Hill, and so many of our normal, organizational allies in the budget battles, have signed on to a plan called Cut, Cap, and Balance.

* Cut in Washington-speak, doesn't mean actual cuts. It means that the Democrats must agree to reduce the increases planned for their favored social programs.
* Cap, to these Republicans, means a spending limit law for future budgets. That sounds good, until you realize that in exchange for spending CAPS in the FUTURE, they'll increase the debt ceiling CAP in the PRESENT. 
* Balance means an amendment to the Constitution, which permanently enshrines 18% of GDP as the size of our federal government.

Ratifying a Balanced Budget Amendment is hard. It's a diversion. And it isn't necessary. The Washington Elephants, who claim they understand their election mandate to tackle the debt problem, are throwing away the game.

All they have to do is take a knee. Quite literally, they have to "do nothing." That is, &quoton't Vote"... for a debt ceiling increase.

That's it!

Heck, given that they control an overwhelming majority in the House, it shouldn't even come up for a vote. And they have the numbers to stop it in the Senate with a filibuster.

Isn't that easier than a Balanced Budget Amendment? After all, capping the debt for good would mean a balanced budget.

Cap the Debt = An Instant End to Deficit Spending

Just like that, cuts would need to be made. Lots of cuts. But it's not going to happen.

Not because it shouldn't. Not because it couldn't. There's a Downsize DC consensus right now. The public is in favor of a cap.

That still leaves an exorbitant amount collected in taxes. Could we attain sufficient support for a more-Constitutional budget? I think that an organization with the right plan and the necessary resources could build that support. 

Interestingly, there's only one national, activist organization left holding the line (joined by just a couple media figures). DownsizeDC.org has been sending messages for several weeks now, saying "No deal. Cap the Debt." Here are a few examples from five recent Dispatches...

* Why A Debt Ceiling Is Better Than A Balanced Budget Amendment   
* Cap the Debt: How Congress Can Learn From Truman   
* Do You Want a Theoretical Balanced Budget Many Years from Now, or a Real One Today?  

* How Deficits Are Making You Poorer  
* "Cut, Cap, and Balance" Means Leviathan State, Forever

We've sent so many messages on this subject that we've fatigued our subscriber list. This month, we have...

* Fewer new people joining us than we've had in years
* Fewer messages being sent to Congress, as well

Politicians respond to pressure. Politicians respond to pressure. POLITICIANS RESPOND TO PRESSURE. Yet...

The pressure they're getting is to let the ball go -- to give up their victory. All our normal allies are in favor of Cut, Cap, and Balance.

They need "encouragement" to persuade them to do the right thing. And now, that's YOUR job!

We merely need to get enough Americans, who already agree with us, to work with DownsizeDC.org -- now the ONLY national, activist organization left saying,

&quoton't Raise the Debt Ceiling"  

We provide the Educate the Powerful System so you can give your "representatives" on Capitol Hill their "orders."

* But have you been using it, regularly?
* Have you been sharing these messages with others, and encouraging them to join DownsizeDC.org?   
* Have you given money to Downsize DC yet this year? 

Most days, we provide a sample letter. But there are sample letters in each of the recent Dispatches referenced above. You can write your own letter, or borrow one of those.

Then, you could forward this message to others. But it would be FAR more powerful if you would make a PERSONAL APPEAL, to your friends, for a balanced budget NOW, by "taking a knee." Tell them how they can make that happen using the proprietary tools we provide at DownsizeDC.org. Let's overwhelm Congress.

And, if you're not currently a monthly pledger, please recognize that the stand we're taking right now is already being seen as confrontational -- we've already been accused of undermining folks we normally consider allies. This isn't personal. We still like most of those people, but we respectfully disagree. And that hits us financially, and that is personal.

In order to keep proclaiming this message and providing these tools, we NEED you to join us as a monthly pledger, for whatever amount you can afford, starting at only $1. We have pledgers who give $250 and $200 each month. You can choose your level of support.

But oh, how I wish we could do more. I'd love to spread this message far and wide. That's why we have...

* secured the domain name, www.CapTheDebt.com
* created a web button/banner that you can place on your website or blog - go here to see it and obtain the code     
* launched a CapTheDebt Facebook page, to which we encourage you becoming a Fan

And now...

* we're moving "Cap the Debt" to the Downsize DC Agenda. We're making it one of our legislative priorities

What could we do if we had money to fight this battle? Could we take it to the press? Right now, I'm obsessed with just paying the rent! But if we had a donor, reading this message right now, ready to supply $10,000 or more, we'd launch advertising and media alerts. We'd jump even deeper into the fray. The more this person gave, the more we'd do. This issue is that important. Are you that person?

If you've...

* sent a message. Thank you.
* appealed to friends and recruited them to send letters with you. Thank you.
* pledged or contributed recently. Thank you.
* done all of these things then, thank you, thank you, and thank you!

But if you're not doing these things, here is a moment to act -- perhaps the best opportunity we've ever had to Downsize DC.

Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

P.S. Apparently, not all of the Washington Elephants liked the game plan! Nine Republicans voted against Cut, Cap, and Balance on Tuesday evening.

Two of them were Presidential candidates, Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann. Paul said he was tired of the "status quo" and the pretense of calling some programs "discretionary" and others "non-discretionary." Paul suggested that everything needed to be on the table. Bachmann said that default is completely unnecessary and a scare tactic. She also said that any proposal that doesn't repeal Obamacare isn't serious.

Paul and Bachmmann were joined by Mack of Florida, Broun of Georgia, Rohrabacher of California, Jones of N.C., DesJarlais of Tennessee, Canseco  of Texas, and Griffith of Virginia. We thank and congratulate these members. If you live in their district, you should let them know you appreciate their stand.  

GOD'S WORD FOR TODAY
Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. - Psalms 63:7 (KJV)

IN THE NEWS
POLICE STATE NEWS

Staten Island cop busted for writing 'fake' tickets to pad his OT
http://nyp.st/opDHJR

Police state comes to small-town Georgia
http://bit.ly/palaHD

Police Kill Teenage Man After Shooting Him 5 Times In Back And While Laying Down
http://exm.nr/mTj93s

SFPD Ruthlessly Shoots and Kills Unarmed 19yr old Man over $2 Bus Fare
http://exm.nr/no0kvG

Rental Firms May be Allowed to Spy on Customers With Webcams
http://bit.ly/p1Sivq

Federal Government Indicts Former Demand Progress Executive Director For Downloading Too Many Journal Articles
http://bit.ly/qN8aMu

Fliers won't be as exposed by new software LOL and I suppose their patdowns wont be as invasive ether.
Now they need to stop the scanners form emitting radiation
http://bit.ly/oWViRp

Gates Foundation Partner in Malawi Vaccinates 131 Children At Gunpoint - Wow This is Madness
http://bit.ly/nKEULa

Massachusetts considers allowing unvaccinated kids in public school
http://bit.ly/npozKI

EVERIFY NEWS

State officials say Lamar Smiths E-Verify bill is unworkable and would cost Americans jobs
http://bit.ly/njH4S3

Mandatory E-Verify will cost businesses more
http://bit.ly/olGVe0

E-Verify snuck in amidst Minnesota budget battle
http://bit.ly/oeUGMw

Ozarks Minutemen Submit Petition Signatures to Force Springfield, MO To Use E-Verify To Prevent
Hiring of Illegal Workers - Misguieded thinking that the everify program will protect jobs
http://bit.ly/oNm9w0

REAL ID & PRIVACY NEWS

ACLU Files Suit Against State In Transgender Driver's License Case
http://bit.ly/pvflCv

State of Florida Sells Driver Information
http://bit.ly/r580cp

Lawyer explains lawsuit against Nevada DMV over "GOPALIN" license plate
http://bit.ly/rnkLfg

Florence SC DMV worker indicted on fraud charges
http://bit.ly/okMYvh

States Dispute Criticism of New Voter Laws, Move to Offer Photo ID Free of Charge
Yes, give us your biometrcis and well give you a free photo id
http://fxn.ws/p7Lrpb

Florida makes $63m selling names, addresses, dates of birth and lists of vehicles people drive
http://bit.ly/oHZpjc

Consumers are willing to pay more to protect their privacy online
http://bit.ly/qBWPtt

REAL I.D.' Really! I Refuse it 100%
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqsJ4mzZrio

ECONOMIC NEWS

Where the green jobs are growing in the U.S.
http://on.msnbc.com/o96cpA

Oil Climbs to 1-Month High on Manufacturing, Europe Debt Plan
http://bit.ly/p9PO1z

Man uses obscure law to claim ownership of $300k home in upscale Texas town... for just $16
http://bit.ly/nocSYL

Homeowner associations foreclose on residents
http://usat.ly/ogserr

America's Foreclosed Homes Are Literally Filling With Mold
http://read.bi/pXn0Cw

Fed Preparing For US Default Says Plosser
http://bit.ly/qpJz71

Bipartisan tax plan trims mortgage deduction - Isn't That Just Great
http://bit.ly/q5uZbV

Communities get creative to get rid of vacant land
http://bit.ly/n2U9gg

We’re On Track For Record-Low Housing Completions In 2011
http://read.bi/oioML8

Commissioners Approve Taney County Racetrack Rezoning - Too bad for the people who enjoyed the scenery
http://bit.ly/qWSmD7

POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

N.H. GOP Rep. Lynne Blankenbeker On Her Military Training: Unions 'Better Not F#%k With Me'
http://huff.to/noV7Ff

Dead getting handicapped parking OKs in Calif.
http://bit.ly/no2nLw

Boehner: House will compromise on debt limit - Of Course They Will
http://yhoo.it/qPFY8j

Edwards campaign owes $2 million: election panel
http://yhoo.it/p7HWq0

GOP presidential candidates join Twitter debate
http://yhoo.it/nsYZFz

US food aid is like modern-day Marshall Plan with strings attached
http://bit.ly/kx96Pv

CHRISTIANITY NEWS

Liberals Launch Christian Witch Trials
http://bit.ly/qTD4Iy

MORAL DECLINE

Patient with Gun Prompts VA Hospital Evacuations
http://bit.ly/pNglch

McDonald's boss punches mom with service dog
http://huff.to/n9YUQf

Tyler Hadley Pal Says Florida Teen Told Him He Would Kill Parents, Showed Him Their Bodies
http://huff.to/qeeRvg

Saudi Woman To Face Trial for Driving in Medical Emergency
http://on.mash.to/nYqHET

U.S. Veteran Faces Legal Action for Flying American Flag
http://bit.ly/mPZQwa

Special Report: Murdoch affair spotlights UK's dirty detectives
http://yhoo.it/nQGBRQ

California School Closes After Child Sex Abuse Allegations
http://huff.to/pnrozh

NIH-Backed Study Examined Effects of Penis Size in Gay Community
http://fxn.ws/oSwMNN

GOOD NEWS

Cash blows off moving car in Poconos; finder turns it in
http://bit.ly/oPZGuk

WICKED HOT WEATHER

Heat 'dome' traps much of US in pressure cooker
http://yhoo.it/qX2fs6

MADE IN THE USA

Andrew Liveris Opens New Production Plant - The Cruel Irony
http://bit.ly/pGMSvN

Making tomorrow's power today: a tour of SunPower's manufacturing facility
http://bit.ly/rmRuGQ

Don't lose manufacturing but don't use industrial policy
http://bit.ly/oT8db0

New manufacturing plant to bring 150 jobs to Decatur
http://bit.ly/peK8G1

BP Solar to stop panel sales, focus on projects
http://bit.ly/qMcIGT

The changing face of manufacturing
http://bit.ly/qwqRBb

Build U.S. with jobs in manufacturing
http://bit.ly/q1AKgl

SolarWorld to provide solar panels for Vestas US headquarters
http://bit.ly/q1ALpU

How Offshoring Can Kill Innovation
http://bit.ly/p8n5Ub

US: Manufacturing activity in Philadelphia rebounds in July
http://bit.ly/qb5Sa0

Construction Starts in California for New Mori Seiki Plant - Made in the USA for Japanese Company
http://bit.ly/qGhScg

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Self-Driving Google Cars Heading To The Highway
http://bit.ly/pEJGdD

HACKER NEWS

Taliban: Hackers Falsely Report Death of Omar
http://abcn.ws/orfqct

Taliban denies leader's death, saying hackers broke into phone
http://bit.ly/nPYFB9

Suspected 'Anonymous' Hackers Held Over PayPal Attack
http://bit.ly/oQs1Br

U.S. cyber arrests seen leading to more hackers
http://reut.rs/q2Nn1s

Hackers leak details of cases vs Palin, hint Obama will be next
http://bit.ly/o5gRGT

Protect your phone from hackers
http://bit.ly/rl4T8X

Is your IT support making you vulnerable to hackers?
http://bit.ly/n46gI8

MacBook Batteries Are Vulnerable To Hackers
http://read.bi/nZvCM8

Why Are Hackers Becoming So Angry?
http://bit.ly/rnFst8

Hacker says Anonymous still downloading NATO data
http://bit.ly/qLG7JS

News Corp. e-mails could be in hands of 'hacktivists'
http://usat.ly/oB6J6L

Hackers make "billions" of attacks on Verizon each month
http://bit.ly/oMZWLr

Hackers target Adobe vulnerabilities, Java vulnerabilities
http://bit.ly/ngGIgg

Hackers hack Murdoch's The Sun
http://bit.ly/nzY1L6

Details of Who Was Arrested in FBI Raids on Anonymous Emerge
http://bit.ly/q3fBTJ

Did a PR firm's lapse give hackers keys to Pfizer Facebook page?
http://bit.ly/nqPy4e

Hackers to FBI: 'We are not scared anymore'
http://on.msnbc.com/nkhQZ1

Hackers Hacked the Hackers' AnonPlus Social Network
http://gizmo.do/nOl6fg

LulzSec Hackers Claim Partnership With Media To Release Stolen News Corp Emails
http://onforb.es/nvx4dZ

Anonymous says it hacked NATO, blasts FBI arrests
http://lat.ms/mRchmB

Sign hackers: Dracula is on the loose!
http://bit.ly/oEDBHo

How hackers are scamming for frequent flyer miles
http://on.msnbc.com/mZZJQN

Phone hackers allegedly hit Taliban
http://bit.ly/oUAE94

Hackers New Target: Small Firms With Lax Security
http://on.wsj.com/pSk2Nn

Google URL Removal Tool Let Anyone Remove Any Site From Google
http://bit.ly/nTuV9O